Doranna & Bruce Wendel at the September 12, 2024, opening of the American Folk Art Museum’s exhibition, “Playing with Design: Gameboards, Art and Culture,” which focused on their collection. Antiques And The Arts Weekly photo.

Courtesy of The Westport Journal

WESTPORT, CONN. — With heavy hearts and deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Doranna Eve Wendel, on July 9, 2025, at 71 years old.

Doranna was the daughter of Theodore Herzl Emanuel and Annalee Emanuel, and sister of Mark, Henry and Adam. She was the wife of Bruce Wendel, and is survived by her children, Moses, Lilly and twin daughters, Olivia and Zoë. She leaves behind 9 grandchildren.

Doranna was a radiant soul, beloved wife, mother, sister and grandmother. She and her loving husband, Bruce, were married for 44 years and shared a passion for collecting American folk art and antiques. They spent decades curating a remarkable collection together, culminating last September in an exhibition of their gameboards at The American Folk Art Museum in New York.

Doranna’s extraordinarily creative spirit was rooted in her richly artistic childhood in Rome, where beauty, expression and imagination were part of everyday life. Growing up, she was her brothers’ cherished older sister. Her father, Theodore Herzl Emanuel, was a sculptor. Her mother, Annalee Emanuel, began as a model, later became an opera singer and eventually pursued a career as an interior decorator. That early exposure to the arts instilled in Doranna a deep curiosity and a reverence for beauty. As a teenager, Doranna moved to Westport, Conn. She attended Staples High School and starred as Juliet in the 1972 performance of Romeo and Juliet.

Doranna was a prolific and talented artist herself. She attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. Her intricate drawings depicting animals, babies, children, faeries, and flowers are dreamlike and whimsical, expressing her boundless love for all living beings. She was fiercely protective of animals, a lifelong vegetarian; she truly considered herself a mother to both her human and animal children. She particularly loved shar-pei dogs, but she adored all animals, even spiders. Her bond with animals, birds and insects was a reflection of her nurturing heart and her ability to find beauty in all living things. Her greatest achievement and deepest joy was being a mother to her children. As a grandmother, her love only grew. Every child uplifted her soul and brought her tremendous happiness.

Doranna’s otherworldly light will continue to shine through her children and grandchildren, in all that she inspired in them. She will live on in their acts of kindness and compassion, in their brave and protective instincts and in their appreciation of beauty. Her love endures, forever.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The North Shore Animal League (www.takeaction.animalleague.org) on Doranna’s behalf.